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What makes Jesus Christ so UNIQUE? - Lord at Birth | Lord over Sin | Lord over Nature | Lord over Satan & Evil Spirits - - Lord as the Perfect Sacrifice | Lord over Death -
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Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-38
When God created the world, He made everything in perfect order. He created the first man and the first woman and He named the man Adam and the woman Eve. He put them in a beautiful garden that He had made with everything they needed. God gave them food from all kinds of trees to eat, but there was one tree from which He commanded them not to eat, because He said the day that they ate from it, they would die. This tree was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The man and the woman, because of the free choice that God had given them and because of Satan's temptation, chose to eat from the tree and therefore brought sin into their hearts and into the world because they disobeyed God. From that point on, God began His plan of bringing someone into the world that would be the perfect sacrifice for the sin of mankind. The stories that are covered in this material show us how through Jesus, God brought about His plan for saving humankind from their sins. In the city of Nazareth (in present day Israel) there lived a young virgin girl by the name of Mary. Mary was a simple person and probably poor. We might say she was an ordinary human being with nothing special about her. She was engaged to a man named Joseph who was a carpenter. One day God sent an angel named Gabriel to Mary. The angel appeared to her and said, "Greetings, you are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Of course, like you or I she was very afraid and wondered what kind of greeting this was. (She may have thought, " Who am I to receive such a visit from the Lord? I am a poor girl.") The angel told her not to be afraid because she had "found favor with God." Then the angel began to explain to Mary all that God was going to do through her. He said that she would become pregnant and would give birth to a son and would call Him Jesus. He said that this son would be great and would be called the Son of the Most High and His kingdom would never end. Can you imagine what was going through her mind? She probably began her day like any other day by doing her normal household work, preparing food or doing some cleaning. Then an angel appears and tells her about this incredible event that would take place in her life. Mary asked the angel a logical question. "How can all this take place since I am a virgin?" The angel then responded by saying that she would become pregnant by the Holy Spirit of God. It would not happen the natural way through relations with a man but by a miracle of God. So the one to be born to her would be called the Son of God. Mary's response to all of this was that of obedience. She said, "I am the Lord's servant. May what you have said happen to me." Then the angel left her. Of course for her husband to be, Joseph, this was overwhelming. Because he was a good man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he was going to divorce her privately. In those days, to be engaged to someone held much the same commitment as being married. Under normal circumstances, the fiancée could have her stoned to death for unfaithfulness. What is the concept of engagement in India? What commitments are entailed with engagements? But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid of taking Mary home as his wife, because what was conceived in her was from the Holy Spirit of God. He told Joseph that Mary would give birth to a son and that he was to call him, Jesus, "for it is He who will save His people from their sins." After this happened Joseph did what the Angel of the Lord told him to do. But he did not have relations with Mary until after she had given birth to Jesus. For centuries and centuries holy men had told that one day God would send someone to be the Savior of the world. One man of God said, "The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call him 'Immanuel'-which means, 'God with us.'" So God's plan was that through this humble girl the Savior of the world would be born. Questions for discussion and thought: 1. What names or descriptions were
given to this child that was to be born? 2. What was the purpose of this baby
boy? 3. In light of Mary's behavior, what
does God want from us? The Birth of Jesus Luke 2:1-20 During the time that Mary was pregnant the ruler of the Roman Empire, Caesar Augustus, decided that a census should be taken of the whole Roman world. So everyone was to go to the city of his or her birth to register and pay taxes. Because Joseph, Mary's fiancé, was from Bethlehem, they would have to travel there in order to register. Bethlehem was about 120 kilometers south of Nazareth where they were living. At this time, Mary was about 9 months pregnant and would have to travel this great distance not by train or plane, but by a donkey. After the long journey, they arrived in Bethlehem only to find that all of the hotels and guesthouses were full because so many people had come to the city. The only place that was available to stay was a dirty, smelly shelter where the animals were kept. It was here that Mary gave birth to Jesus. After he was born, she wrapped Him up in a cloth and placed Him on hay where the animals ate. Instead of a baby crib, the Son of God was placed in a feeding trough. There was no large procession, no big band, nor big national celebration. But in that humble place, God chose for His Son to be born. Mary and Joseph were the only ones who knew of this great event, but God wanted others to know. He did not go to the rulers or kings, but He sent an angel to a group of shepherds to tell them about the birth of His Son. These men were out in a field at night watching over their sheep, when an angel appeared to them. They were terrified. Imagine being out in a dark field with only the stars as light and an angel appearing to you. The angel, knowing they were afraid, said to them, "Do not be afraid, because I am going to tell you some good news that will bring great joy to everyone. In Bethlehem, a Savior has been born. He is the Savior King, the Lord." The angel gave them a sign so that they would know that this child was the Son of God. They would find the baby wrapped in a cloth and lying in a feeding trough. And with this, a great number of angels appeared, filling the sky and worshipping God saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." After the angels left, the shepherds rushed off to the city to see what had happened. When they arrived, they found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the feeding trough just as the Lord had told them through the angel. After seeing the baby, they told others about what they had seen and returned to the fields praising and worshipping God. Questions for Discussion and Thought: 1. How do we celebrate the birth
of the first child to a couple? 2. Why do you think Jesus was born
under such humble circumstances, that is, being born in an animal shelter,
lying in a feeding trough, and his first visitors being lowly shepherds?
3. What does this tell us about Jesus?
The Magi Visit Jesus Matthew 2:1-18 The shepherds were the first visitors to come and see Jesus but God had other people that would come to see the Child. The city of Bethlehem where Jesus was born was in an area called Judea, which we might refer to as a State much like West Bengal. The capital of Judea was Jerusalem and it was here that a group of Magi or Royal people came from the East to search for Jesus. These men more than likely came from Persia or Babylonia, which would have taken months to travel that distance. The Magi were considered wise men that specialized in astrology, medicine, and natural science. These men came to Jerusalem asking people where was the one who was born King of the Jews, because they said that they had seen His star in the east and had come to worship Him. Probably these Royal men had searched for clues to the star's significance in the ancient Hebrew prophecies regarding the future Savior King. The King and the people were very troubled because these men were asking about the birthplace of the King of the Jews. King Herod, who was the king of Judea, gathered all his religious leaders to ask them where this King had been born. The religious leaders told him that Bethlehem was the place just as it had been told by one of God's holy men long ago. (Matthew 2:6 -Micah 5:2-4) Then King Herod secretly gathered the Magi and sent them to Bethlehem to find this Child. He told them to go and search for the Child and then report back to him so that he could come and worship Him." So the Royal men left to search for Jesus and to their surprise the star that they had seen in the east was in front of them so that they could find the place where Jesus was. They followed the star until it led them to the house where Jesus was and they found Jesus and His mother. At this time Jesus was under two years of age. On seeing Jesus they fell to their knees and worshiped Him and presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Frankincense and myrrh were types of perfumes used at that time.) These men came and worshiped at the feet of this baby boy, God's Son. Can you imagine sitting with your new baby son and four Mercedes Benz with foreign flags on the front pull up to your house and four men get out and bow down before your son touching his feet. Then they present expensive gifts like Rolex watches, the finest clothing, Gucci. How would you feel if this were your child? Remember that King Herod had told the Magi that when they found this Child that they were to return and tell him where the Child was. But God warned them in a dream not to return, because King Herod wanted to know where the Child was so that he could kill Him, therefore they went back to their own countries by a different route. Joseph was also warned in a dream to take Mary and the Child to Egypt and to stay there until he was told that he and Mary could return. So Joseph traveled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt by night. When King Herod learned that the Magi had tricked him he was furious and began to have all the male children two years old and under who were in Bethlehem and the surrounding area killed. Joseph stayed in Egypt with his family until King Herod died. After King Herod's death, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him that it was safe to leave Egypt now, so he took them to the city of Nazareth where they settled down to live. Questions for discussion and thought: 1. Why do you think God sent these
Royal men to see Jesus?
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He has Authority to Forgive Sins There were large groups of people that followed Jesus wherever He was because of His miracles and teaching. On one occasion, Jesus was in the city of Capernaum teaching God’s word to the people and performing miracles. So many people had gathered to hear Him that there was no room left in the home where He was, not even outside the door. While Jesus was inside the house some men came bringing a paralyzed friend on a stretcher. They wanted to bring their friend to Jesus in order that He might heal him. When they got to the house where Jesus was, it was so crowded, that they were not able to enter the house. Therefore the men decided to go up on top of the house and lower their friend through the roof. Now you want to ask, “how could they lower him through the roof?” Could you imagine someone digging a hole in your rooftop in order to lower a friend down to the middle of your living room? Evidently, during this time the roofs of the houses were made out of some kind of clay or mud tiles so it was possible for these men to make a hole large enough to lower their friend. After making the hole, the men lowered the paralytic right in the center of the room in front of Jesus. There was probably complete silence in the room. After seeing that these men believed that He could heal the man, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven.” There may have been some puzzled looks on people’s faces after Jesus said this to a man who wanted to be healed. Present in the crowd were some religious leaders who had come from different villages in Galilee, Judea, and the city of Jerusalem and they began to reason and talk among themselves about what Jesus had just said. They were thinking, “He is cursing God. Only God can forgive sins. Why is he talking like this?” But Jesus knew what they were thinking in their hearts, so He said to them, “Why are you thinking these things in your heart? Which would be easier to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? (Which would be easier to say?) Then Jesus said to them, “so that you may know that I have authority on earth to forgive sins”, He said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately the man got up, took his mat and went home in full view of everyone. The people of course were amazed and praised God and began saying that they had never seen anything like this. Jesus had not only healed the man but also had forgiven his sins. Jesus had the authority to heal the man and forgive his sins. Questions for discussion and thought: 1. Why did these men go to so much
trouble to bring their friend to Jesus? 2. Why did Jesus first tell the paralyzed man,
“Your sins are forgiven”? 3. Why did the religious leaders
say that Jesus was cursing God by His saying that the man’s sins
were forgiven? 4. What did Jesus want to show the
people by telling the man to get up and take his mat? 5. Do you think Jesus has the authority
and power to forgive your sins? |
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Jesus
did a lot of His teaching and traveling around a large body of water called
the Sea or Lake of Galilee. From time to time He would travel across the
Sea with His disciples. This Sea was known to be dangerous because storms
would come up without warning and boats would get caught in the middle of
the Sea.
One evening, after having finished a day of teaching and performing miracles, Jesus decided to sail to the other side of the Sea with His disciples. After entering the boat Jesus went to the stern of the boat (the back of the boat) and fell asleep on a cushion. While they were going across, a furious storm came up on the Sea so that the waves were sweeping across the boat so much that it was in danger of sinking. The disciples were trying everything to keep the boat afloat but probably felt hopeless facing this storm. They may have also been thinking, “How could Jesus sleep during a storm like this?” The disciples thinking that all hope was gone, went and woke Jesus up and said to Him, “Lord save us, we are going to drown?” Then Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” then the wind died down and it became completely calm. He then said to His disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” The disciples then began to talk among themselves asking one another with fear and amazement, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.” Questions for discussion and thought: 1. How could Jesus fall asleep while
on a boat in a big storm? 3. The disciples asked the question
about Jesus after He had calmed the Sea, “Who is this?” What
does this story tell us about who Jesus is? 4. If Jesus can calm the natural storms that occur, can He not calm the personal storms in our lives?
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Jesus, Lord over Satan & Evil Spirits After Jesus and His disciples had arrived on the other side of the Sea, Jesus came on land and was met by a demon-possessed man. (To be demon possessed was to be controlled by an evil demon. The demon actually possessed the person’s body so that the individual was not in control of him/herself.) This man was controlled by a demon so that he had not worn clothes or lived in a house for a long time but lived in the place of burials. (In this time the places for burials were like small caves that had been dug out of the rocks in the mountains and people would place their dead family or friends there.) The people of the area had tried to control this man by chaining his hands and feet and placing him under guard, but he would break the chains and the demons would drive him out into the desert. He would also cut himself with stones. So no one could control him and we could image how scary he was to the people. The demon-possessed man came to Jesus and fell at his feet, shouting, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torture me!” because Jesus had commanded the demon to come out of the man. Jesus then asked the demon what his name was and the demon said “Legion”, because there were many demons that were in the man. (The word “legion” means “many” or “a great number.”) They begged Jesus not to send them out of the area. There was a large herd of about 2000 pigs feeding on the hillside, so the demons asked Jesus to let them go into the herd and He gave them permission. The demons then came out of the man and went into the pigs and the herd rushed down the steep bank and into the lake and drowned. When those who were caring for the pigs saw this, they ran and told the people in the town and countryside and they came to see what had happened. They came and found the man who had been demon possessed at the feet of Jesus, dressed and in his right mind and they were afraid. Those who had seen what Jesus had done told the others how He had healed the possessed man. Then all the people of the region asked Jesus to leave because they were filled with fear. So Jesus got into a boat and left. As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had the demons wanted to go with Him, but Jesus told him to return to his home and tell others what God had done for him. So the man went throughout the town telling others about what Jesus had done for him. Questions for discussion and thought: 1. Why did the demons leave the man after
Jesus had commanded them to leave? 3. What does this story tell us about Jesus?
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Jesus, Lord as the Perfect Sacrifice Jesus came into this world to give life, a life free from the penalty of sin, an eternal life. In order to give us life, he offered Himself as a sacrifice by His death. But here a question arises. Why Jesus? Was He the only possible sacrifice? Why did He have to sacrifice Himself to save all of mankind? Was it necessary?To answer these questions we must consider the attributes of God: The Bible says God is holy and for Him there is no relationship between the holy and the unholy. Secondly, it says God is righteous and for Him there is no relationship between the righteous and the unrighteous. Thirdly, the Bible says that God is just and therefore there is no relationship between the just and the unjust. So God is shown as a holy, righteous, and just God that must punish sin because it is in contradiction to everything that He is. But the Word of God has declared that Man has sinned against God and cannot meet God’s standard of perfection. We have a holy and perfect God to whom no one can relate because of his/her imperfection. It is not the amount, number, or degree of sin that someone has committed, but the simple fact that he/she has sinned. Whether it is one sin or hundreds we are considered imperfect in God’s eyes. God says that the penalty for this state is separation from Him. God in His holiness has to punish sin. So where do we stand before God? The picture looks bleak from the above facts. But there is one more attribute of God that must be discussed and that is His love. God created man to have fellowship with Him but that was destroyed by man’s sin. But because of God’s love He wanted to restore that relationship. How could God remain true to His character of love and holiness? God demanded a sacrifice for sin but not just any sacrifice. It had to be a perfect one. So Jesus, God’s Son, entered the world as a human. And through Him, God executed all his attributes together, not even abandoning one. God showed His holiness and love through Jesus, the perfect sacrifice. Why was Jesus the perfect sacrifice? He was the sinless Son of God. There was no sin or imperfection in His heart so He was the only possibility. Jesus died for the sins of many, not His own because He had none. Jesus means “the savior” and that is who His is. Jesus made a way to relate to God by His sacrifice. His sacrifice, confirms His own words, “ I am the way, the truth and the life ”. Jesus came to earth knowing that He would have to suffer and die for the sins of mankind. He came willingly and gave His life willingly because He loved man. He knew that there was no other way. The Bible states it clearly that Jesus came to this earth “to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself…so Jesus Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people…” So because of Jesus’ act there is no need for any other sacrifice for sin. His was a once and for all sacrifice. The Bible states that there is “one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” In order for this sacrifice to help us personally, though, the Bible tells us that we must confess our sins to Him and believe in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we do not recognize Him as Lord and the one worthy to bring forgiveness to us, then we will not be able to avail of the forgiveness of God, and we remain separated from Him by our sin. Jesus enables us to walk the way He leads us, to hold the truth that He is the Savior of the world and gives us life to enjoy, not only on this earth but to reign with Him in eternity where we will see Him face to face. This is the uniqueness of Jesus and His sacrifice. Jesus is the one and only sacrifice and we must believe in Him. |
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Jesus Raises His Friend Lazarus From the Dead John 11:1-44 Jesus had a friend named Lazarus who lived in a town called Bethany. Lazarus had two sisters, one named Mary and the other named Martha. Jesus loved these friends very much. One day the sisters sent a message to Jesus and told Him that His friend Lazarus was sick. Jesus told His disciples that this sickness would bring glory to God and His Son. After two days Jesus left with His disciples to go to Bethany. On the way Jesus told His disciples that Lazarus was dead but that He was going to raise him up. When Jesus arrived in Bethany, there were many people at the home of Lazarus because he had died and had been buried for four days. Martha went out to meet Jesus, and said to Him, “If you had been here, Lord, my brother would not have died! But I know that what ever you ask of God, He will give you.” Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise from the dead but she thought He was talking about a future resurrection a long way off. But Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Martha answered, “I do believe that you are the Savior King, the Son of God who has come to the world.” Martha went and called her sister, Mary and told her that Jesus was here. She too told Jesus that if He had been here Lazarus would have never died. Jesus then asked where they had buried Lazarus. When He saw them crying, He too cried because He loved Lazarus so much. Some people said, “He caused a blind man to see, could He not have kept Lazarus from dying?” Then Jesus went to the tomb of Lazarus, which was a cave dug in the rock with a large stone over the entrance. Jesus told them to take away the stone but Martha said, “There will be a bad smell because he has been dead for four days.” Can you imagine the smell? Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God. Then Jesus prayed, “Father, I thank you that you have heard Me. I know that you always hear Me, but I say this because of the people here, so that they will believe that you sent Me.” After He had said this, He shouted in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Lazarus then came out of the tomb with his grave cloths still wrapped around his hands, feet, and face. Jesus then told the people to untie him and let him go. After this, many people who had seen what had happened, believed in Jesus. Questions for discussion and thought: 1. Why do you think Jesus waited
two days before He even left to go to Bethany, Lazarus hometown?
2. What did Jesus mean when He said,
“I am the resurrection and the life.”?
Jesus is Resurrected After Jesus died, one of His disciples, a rich man, came to Pilate the Governor to ask if he could take Jesus’ body in order to give the proper Jewish burial. Pilate was surprised that He had died so soon but he gave permission for Jesus’ body to be taken down and given to the man. The man took Jesus’ body and placed Him in his own tomb. (A tomb was simply a small cave like structure dug into the rock that would be used for the burial of the dead.) After they placed His body in the tomb they rolled a large stone in front of the tomb. A few days after Jesus had died and been buried, several women prepared spices that they would use to put on Jesus’ body as part of the Jewish burial custom. As they were walking to the tomb where Jesus was buried they wondered among themselves who would take away the huge stone in front of the tomb. But when they arrived the stone had already been rolled away. They did not know that an angel had come down from Heaven and an earthquake had occurred that caused the stone to roll away. When they got to the tomb an angel appeared to them and told them not to be afraid because he knew that they where looking for Jesus. The angel showed them the place where Jesus had been buried and told them that He was not there but had risen from the dead. The angel remained them about what Jesus had said concerning His arrest, crucifixion, and death. But that He would rise from the dead three days later. The ladies remembered His words. The angel then told them to go quickly and tell the other disciples that Jesus had risen and that He would come to them. The ladies half afraid and half joyful ran back to look for the disciples to tell them the good news but when they told the news some of the disciples did not believe that it had actually happened. Some thought it was nonsense and others said that they would have to see Him before they believed. Jesus first appeared to a woman named Mary Magdalene who had been a follower of Jesus. She first thought that He was only the caretaker of the tombs but then saw Him to be Jesus. That evening He appeared to a group of disciples who were together in someone’s house. He showed them His hands and feet where the nails had been hammered. But the disciples were frightened because they thought they were seeing a spirit or ghost. Jesus asked them, “Why are you afraid and why are you doubting?” Then He said, “Look at My hands and feet and touch them because a spirit or ghost does not have flesh and bones.” And because they still had a few doubts, He asked for something to eat to show them that it was really Him. He then began to help them understand that what had happened was according to what He had taught them and according to what the Holy Scriptures had foretold; that the Savior King, Jesus would have suffer and rise from the dead the third day. Jesus made several more appearances to different disciples over a forty-day period. Can you imagine the joy and astonishment the followers of Jesus felt? Questions for discussion and thought: 1. If you had been one of the ladies that first went to the tomb where Jesus had been buried, what would you reaction have been?
4. What is the significance of Jesus’
resurrection?
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